China and the United States are beginning another round of economic negotiations as trade, rare earths and artificial intelligence return to the center of relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is leading a delegation to the United States from September 19 through September 23 for economic and trade consultations, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to meet He in New York, with trade, AI, critical minerals and broader economic issues among the subjects under discussion.
The talks come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled September 24 visit to Washington and as both governments confront unresolved questions involving tariffs, technology restrictions and access to critical materials.
Rare earths remain especially important because they are used across advanced electronics, automobiles, energy systems and defense manufacturing. Artificial intelligence has also become increasingly intertwined with U.S.-China trade policy as Washington weighs technology controls and both countries compete to expand domestic AI capabilities.
For markets, the important question is whether the negotiations produce concrete movement rather than another agreement to continue talking.
Investors will be watching for developments involving the existing tariff truce, technology restrictions, rare-earth supply and any economic agreements announced around the leaders’ meeting.
